Heal
by moltencryolite
Summary: Years after the fall of Voldemort, Hermione the Healer saves a gravely injured Draco Malfoy. A forbidden love blossoms between the two...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters.  
  
Hoarh haaaahaaa!!! A lame attempt at a * gasp* serious fic! Sorry if it's a bit hard to read- I have probs in encoding when I save in html.  
  
Prologue  
  
'There's no escaping now Malfoy -it's a dead end.'  
  
The auror stood tall over his fallen opponent, acid-green eyes almost luminous in the darkness. The latter was a Dark Wizard under the ranks of Lucius Malfoy, who had taken over the late Lord Voldemort. He leaned wearily against the wall behind him, and gave a short gasp of pain as he did so. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he wiped it away with much vehemence, and fixed his gaze on the auror, grey eyes pained but unwavering.  
  
'Tell us where your father is, Malfoy, and the Ministry might just give you a lighter sentence...'  
  
'Go to hell, Potter.' Malfoy spat at the heels of the auror with all the strength he could muster. 'You'll never get anything out of me.'  
  
'Then I'm afraid I shall have to do this by force...'  
  
'You just try it Potter...I'll...' Malfoy stopped short, a wave of dizzy nausea washing over him. He felt a rancid liquid rising in his parched, dry throat, and suddenly, he knew.  
  
Legilimency...damned Potter trying to read his mind...  
  
'No...' the dark wizard keeled over, clutching his bloodstained robes. His grey eyes glazed over even as he fought to keep the Auror out of his memories.  
  
No...I can't let Father down...  
  
Memories, memories rushing back like a cold torrent of water. Secrets, deep within the crevices of the heart. Secrets he wouldn't have liked to reveal. Secrets he couldn't afford to.  
  
'NO!'  
  
The auror jerked back suddenly, as if snapping out of a trance. The memories had come to an abrupt stop. His emerald eyes remained steadfast and calm, even though he was apparently surprised at Malfoy's ability to resist his spell.  
  
'You're more stubborn than I thought, Malfoy. More stubborn than any of your other comrades, at least.'  
  
A thin smile played about Malfoy's lips. Lifting his pale, gaunt face from the ground, he replied in no more than a whisper.  
  
'You don't know me too well, do you Potter?' His hands fell to his side, revealing a gleaming, silver-handled dagger stuck in his abdomen. The sweet, sickly scent of blood filled the air.  
  
'Wha...you...'  
  
'Guess I got the last laugh, Potter,' he rasped just before a hazy mist passed before his eyes, and everything went black.  
  
Would really like constructive criticism so I can improve my writing.heh. READ? REVIEW!! 


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: *looks downward* Nope, nothing here belongs to me.  
  
'Heal'  
  
The Three Broomsticks was unusually void of customers, given the fact that it was a weekend, and that it was a popular hangout for young wizards and witches. A record player, charmed to play soft, soothing music in accompaniment to the glowing ambience of the hanging lamps, stood solitary in to the left of the counter, its gentle notes breaking the otherwise stifling silence.  
  
'This place sure isn't what it used to be anymore.' A flaming red- haired wizard, dressed simply in robes of dull brown stirred his drink morosely, looking about what used to be a room buzzing with activity. He turned towards his companion, a witch dressed in robes of lime-green. 'Ever since Lucius Malfoy's gang made trouble here last week, everyone's been avoiding this place like the plague.'  
  
'Yeah...' His companion replied in a vague sort of manner, absently brushing back loose strands of her hair and tucking them behind her ear. She drained her mug of Butterbeer slowly and deliberately, a faraway look in her dark brown eyes.  
  
'But Harry and the others will catch them soon, you'll see. They're losing this battle, I tell you. The Death Eaters have weakened since the death of you-know-who; they're no longer as united before.' He paused to take a sip of his brandy, before he continued. 'But Lucius Malfoy...he's a tough one. Narrowly escaped Azkaban no less than three times, they say. Not to mention the fact that he gets help from his git of a son- a wanted criminal himself.'  
  
'Mm-hmm...'  
  
'You're not listening, Hermione!' The wizard looked reproachfully at his preoccupied friend. 'You're not worrying about your patients again, are you?'  
  
'No I'm not...'  
  
'You work too hard, Hermione. spend more time at St. Mungo's than at home! You really ought to take a break from all this...'  
  
'It's my duty Ron - people need me back there.' Hermione stared sullenly into her tankard, the golden liquid reflecting a shimmery, distorted version of herself. 'Besides, I enjoy my work,' she added petulantly.  
  
'Well, you're not going anywhere tonight,' Ron clasped her hand in his, eyes shining brightly. 'C'mon, I'll bring you someplace special!'  
  
'But I...oh al -' Hermione stopped short, fingering the silver cross in a chain around her neck. It tingled slightly as she touched it, heat exuding from within.  
  
'I have to go back, Ron.'  
  
The red-haired wizard slammed his fist against the counter, cursing under his breath. 'Bloody hell.they have to call you back now, of all times.'  
  
'Sorry Ron...' Before she could even finish her sentence, Hermione disapparated with a faint pop.  
  
~~~  
  
The familiar smell of disinfectant hit her almost as soon as she apparated into St. Mungo's. The smell, she thought, of home...  
  
'Healer Granger, we need you over at the emergency room now...' an assistant came up to Hermione, clipboard in hand and anxiety etched on her face. They strode down the hall side by side. 'Dagger wound, and we think the blade was dipped in poison. doesn't look too good, if you ask me.'  
  
'What happened?'  
  
'It's a long story really.' The bespectacled assistant tapped her wand against the wall, and the doors to the emergency room swung open. A healer, lime-green robes stained with blood, approached her just as she stepped in.  
  
'So glad you're here, Granger! You see, he's a Death Eater-dangerous man you know- so we had be very cautious.but he absolutely refused to cooperate, so.'  
  
Hermione raised her hand to the healer. 'I'll have a look, Smith.' She strode to the corner of the room, where a couple of nurses stood at a distance round the patient, visibly frightened by his previous outburst.  
  
The patient lay barely conscious on the cold asphalt, ragged breaths ensuing from his parched, pale lips. As Hermione approached him, she saw the look of a defeated beast, once proud and majestic, in his grey eyes. Strands of silver-blond hair fell over what would have been a pale, well- defined face, had pain and fatigue not left its marks on it.  
  
'Don't...touch me...' the patient writhed feebly as Hermione shifted him onto his back to examine his wound. A foul smell hit Hermione as she caught a glimpse of his wound- it seemed to have reached a gangrenous state by now.  
  
'How could you let this happen, Smith?' Her brown eyes bore hard onto the unsuspecting healer.  
  
'I...look, he's a dangerous man...tried to attack some of the nurses just now...at least we've stopped the poison from spreading...'  
  
'Just because he's a Death Eater,' Hermione narrowed her eyes, 'doesn't give you the right to treat him as a second-class patient.'  
  
'We didn't do anything of that kind, Healer Granger...'  
  
'Oh? Well, I see you've all kept a good distance away from him- how's that going to help him, then?'  
  
'We tried, Miss Granger, but...' Ignoring his protests, Hermione swished her wand towards the shelves, full of all kinds of potions. A flask with a deep purple liquid came flying towards her, which she caught deftly in her right hand.  
  
'That will be enough. You may leave now.' She turned her attention to the Death Eater. The others watched with trepidation as Hermione knelt down next to him. The patient struggled vainly against her hold, splattering her robes a brilliant scarlet.  
  
'Relax...we're trying to help you,' she tilted his chin back, allowing some of the purple liquid trickle down his throat. The patient coughed weakly, but ceased to struggle any further. Hermione felt a surge of relief as the patient swallowed the potion, and relaxed visibly in her arms. She felt his weary grey eyes lock onto her brown ones.  
  
Recognition dawned on them both.  
  
I *hope* you didn't get too confused. Pls review and tell me what you think...XB 


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Ah. You can pretend that I wrote one.  
  
Author's note: I realize I've made a dreadful mistake in the previous chap. Healers don't wear white robes, but lime-green ones ^^(). How dumb of me. *decides to read ootp more carefully next time*  
  
A BEEG thanks to all my reviewers (yes, even if it's a measly number), esp to mary lee for pointing out my goony mistake. _ Doumo arigatou gozaimasu!!! *bows 90 degrees to the ground*  
  
Oh, and can someone tell me why my encoding always has problems when I save in html format? Help me I'm computer illiterate!! Yargh!!  
  
'Heal'  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Hermione leant against the windowsill, gazing, much as she tried not to, at the still unconscious Draco Malfoy, who lay now in bed, covered waist down in pale blue sheets. Sunlight crept through the blinds, running patterns across the sheets. The soft light fell across Malfoy's face like the gentle hand of a lover, casting shadows across his sharp features. His chest rose and fell slightly with every breath he took, colour creeping into his previously deathly pale face.  
  
She'd never expected to meet Malfoy again this way. It had only been four years since they last saw each other on the Hogwarts Express, but it seemed to Hermione like centuries. Ever since she'd left Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy seemed to recede into the background, recalled only as an unpleasant memory during her stay at Hogwarts. In fact, if not for constant reports of the uprisings of the Death Eaters, or the fact that Harry was an auror and Ron was working with the ministry, she'd probably have forgotten the very existence of Malfoy.  
  
Yet here she was, standing by Malfoy's bed, by some strange, unfortunate twist of events. She wrinkled her nose at the pure irony of the situation.  
  
'Hermione? Alright if I come in now?' A dark, disheveled head emerged from behind the door, peering in tentatively.  
  
'HARRY?! What're you doing here?' Hermione stood up quite suddenly, and then, feeling a bit disoriented, hastily sat down again.  
  
'Well ah... I sort of defeated Malfoy...' He rubbed the back of his head, making his jet-black hair looked more oddly ruffled than it already did. 'And well, you know we're trying to catch his father so I tried to get it out of him but...'  
  
'But?'  
  
'But he refused. So I resorted to Legilimency. Apparently he's hiding a lot from us- a plan of some sort it seems- and he didn't want to reveal anything.'  
  
'So the dagger... he did that to himself just to stop you?' Hermione frowned.  
  
'Um. I guess. But we'll get it out of him somehow.' Harry's lips set in a thin line of determination. 'We can't afford any more lives to be lost. The Death Eaters are up to something, and we've got to stop them, by hook or by crook.'  
  
'Yes well...I guess you're right.' She stole yet another glance at Malfoy. He looked innocent enough when he was asleep- as innocent as Death Eaters went. 'But isn't there some other way to put an end to all this conflict?'  
  
'Huh?'  
  
'I mean all this fighting. All this violence, all this bloodshed, and no one listens to each other- no one probably even knows why they're fighting anymore. I'm sure some of them- I mean the Death Eaters, don't want this either...it's just that we've killed so many of them, so they'd naturally want revenge and oh, I just wish we could resolve this by peaceful means...' Hermione trailed off, fingering a syringe in her hand, which she'd picked up more for the need of something to occupy her than anything else. Working at St Mungo's gave her a much clearer look at just how much damage the conflict caused. Casualties were rampant nowadays, dark wizards and non- dark wizards alike. And she realised, perhaps a little too late, that no one ever bothered to ask why.  
  
'Well, they started all this,' Harry said darkly. 'Besides, you can't reason with Dark wizards, Hermione. If we could settle this peacefully, we would have done so centuries ago.' He paused. 'I rarely thought about it this way, though. Just like you, Mione, to try and see the good in everyone, seeing things from other people's perspectives and all...'  
  
Hermione sighed. Harry was just like the others- he never doubted if they, the so-called 'good' wizards were doing the right thing. How come no one ever thought of it the way she did?  
  
'I wouldn't be too quick to say that. I never saw an ounce of good in Malfoy back in Hogwarts. Or Umbridge.'  
  
Harry gave a light, careless laugh. 'Oh, but at least you tried.' He got up from his seat. 'Got to rush now...take care alright? I'll be back when Malfoy's recovered- got to take him to the Ministry for further questioning.'  
  
'Oh, and one more thing.' Harry pushed his spectacles up his nose. 'Um...Just thought I'd warn you, we're stationing dementors outside Malfoy's room...for security purposes you know.'  
  
'Dementors?! You can't do that! This is a hospital! How could you, you know how some patients are when they get depressed...'  
  
'It's just a temporary measure, Mione. Oh, don't look at me like that, it's the Ministry that decides these things, hey...OW! Don't poke me with that!' Eager to avoid any more murderous jabs from Hermione's syringe, Harry made a hasty exit.  
  
'Sorry 'bout the Dementors, Mione! They won't be any trouble at all!' With that, the auror made a not-so-dignified exit.  
  
'Dementors in St Mungo's...' Hermione shook her head. 'What will they think of next?'  
  
~~~  
  
'Dementors at St Mungo's?'  
  
At Knockturn Alley, a figure, richly clad in green robes of velvet leant on a lamppost, speaking, or so it seemed, to no one in particular. On closer inspection however, one would notice that the figure was in fact talking to a raven, perched inconspicuously on a signboard.  
  
'Or so I've heard. It won't be so easy, Lucius, to save him now...'  
  
The figure shifted ever so slightly on the cold, damp cobblestone ground. 'We have to save him, or risk Potter getting hold of all our plans. I don't think Draco'd be able to hide it from them much longer-you have to get him out of there, as soon as possible, do you understand?'  
  
'Yes, I understand.'  
  
'I will not condone any more errors, Bellatrix- my foolish son has made enough. Failure is not an option.'  
  
'Yes, I will not fail you, Lucius.'  
  
The silhouette of a raven flitted past the pale evening sky above Knockturn Alley. Its companions were waiting for her.  
  
Buahaha I hope I didn't bore you to death. I'll get to more D/Hr action soon. Really!! Review if you think it's good, or if it totally sucked. I really want some feedback!!!  
  
So press da button!! 


	4. Chapter 3

'Heal' Chapter 3  
  
'Relax...we're trying to help you...'  
  
Though his eyes hazed with pain, he saw her. He knew that he'd seen her somewhere before...but...where?  
  
He narrowed his eyes in an attempt to see; yet he was unable to determine the identity of the woman, who seemed all too familiar to him. The sense of familiarity had a somewhat calming effect on him. Perhaps...perhaps she truly wanted to help him...she was different from the others, wasn't she?  
  
She gazed down at him, liquid brown eyes widened slightly with shock. She finally spoke, in a soft, disbelieving voice.  
  
'Malfoy?'  
  
~~~  
  
Draco groaned as a pale, dimly lit room came into focus. The ceiling swam before his eyes, bobbing in and out as if he were at sea. Bitterly, he wondered if he really were at sea. Maybe Potter had thrown him into the sea as shark bait. (Shark bait hoo-ha ha!!) But that was highly unlikely. Maybe he was in Heaven, then. But who'd let a Death Eater into Heaven?  
  
Besides, Heaven didn't smell like disinfectant. Disinfectant = Hospital. So he wasn't dead. Oh the cruelties of the world.  
  
Draco sighed and stared back up at the gray, cracked ceiling. His thoughts wandered invariably to the person he least expected to see when he had neared Death's doorsteps.  
  
Hermione Granger.  
  
He'd recognized her gaze, which, though somewhat haughty, always concealed a certain softness. And surprisingly, Draco hadn't felt a grain of revulsion when he realised he was lying in the arms of a mudblood. Instead, he'd felt relief wash over him, and passed out soon after.  
  
/Tricked by a mudblood! She probably saved me so Potter could get the information he wanted...I'm as good as in Azkaban if I stay here a moment longer!! /  
  
Head throbbing from the effects of a Sleeping Draught, Draco struggled into an upright position, only to let out a feeble whimper of pain and fall back on his pillow, feeling utterly drained and exhausted.  
  
/Damn...I can't be this weak...I'll never escape from this place like this... /  
  
He got up once more; planting his feet firmly on the cold, smooth ground. Ignoring the screaming protests from his aching body, Draco stood up, swaying slightly on his feet. He was steadying himself, waiting for the light-headedness to pass, when the door swung open, and a witch, dressed immaculately in lime-green robes, strode in.  
  
'Malfoy! What in the world do you think you're doing?!' Granger looked positively McGonagall-like as she gave Draco a disapproving look.  
  
'Standing,' he answered matter-of-factly, the light giddiness in his head not quite departed. Strange, he thought. Now it seemed like there were two Grangers.  
  
'You'll get yourself killed! Do you know how much blood you lost...' Granger planted Draco firmly back down onto the bed.  
  
'Don't touch me with your filthy hands, Mudblood!!' He threw Granger a look of utter loathing. 'And don't think I'll be grateful, Granger.' He looked scathingly at the healer, pale eyes cold and expressionless. 'I know bloody well what you want from me.'  
  
'In case you were wondering, Malfoy, I didn't save your life just so I could help Harry,' She narrowed her eyes. 'I'm merely doing what my job requires, that is, as your healer-in-charge.'  
  
'You?!' Draco sniffed. 'Of all the freaking healers in the hospital I had to get you!'  
  
'Actually, that's because no one else wanted to be your healer-in-charge. Too frightened, I suppose. But they shouldn't be - they'll be sending you to the Ministry soon.'  
  
'Shut up, Mudblood.' His stomach lurched at the thought of what the Ministry would do to him. Worse, what his Father would do to him. 'Think you're so big...you and that Potter...' Draco froze. He felt Granger's cool fingertips as she laid a hand across his forehead.  
  
'Just as I suspected. You're delirious, Malfoy.' Draco looked up. Though far from beautiful, Draco thought, admittedly, that Granger didn't look all that bad, especially up this close. Though she kept her face stern -her mouth pressed in a thin line - the clarity of her dark, intelligent brown eyes caught his breath. The throbbing in his head seemed to subside as he sat still in his bed, all the time staring at Granger. He felt a warm, almost tangible sensation pass though him, something he hadn't felt in such a long time. Something he'd felt when Mother was still around, and even then, quite rarely. It was making him feel rather faint.  
  
Finally, Granger released her hand. She stood up, looking a little flushed, but nevertheless, unruffled. 'Well, I'd better get you some potions, then.'  
  
'No...wait!' Granger whipped round, looking slightly shocked. Wisps of brown hair curled like tendrils down the sides of her face; the rest of her hair was pulled back tight in a ponytail. She looked wary, as though suspicious that Draco was up to something.  
  
'What?'  
  
'I...You...Aren't you sending me to the ministry?'  
  
'Not till you've fully recovered, Malfoy. Now would you sit still?'  
  
Granger walked back with a syringe in one hand and pale-blue potion in another. Her stern gaze softened when she saw Draco, quivering slightly under the pale moonlight. Draco scowled.  
  
'If you think I'm grateful, Granger, you're dead wrong.'  
  
'So you mentioned,' Granger replied icily, lightly puncturing Draco's arm with the syringe. Scowling, Draco turned away from the healer and faced the window instead. He saw that it was drizzling lightly and gazed, with mild fascination, at the tiny, glistening pearls of rainwater gliding down the windowpane.  
  
'Because...you should have just let me die, Granger,' Draco whispered in a barely audible tone. Granger looked up.  
  
'Why?'  
  
/ And why live? Things would be much less complicated if I was dead.  
  
I'm sick of running away, sick of hiding, sick of living with the fact that I'd killed, that blood had stained my robes more than once.  
  
Sick of being treated, by my own Father, like a mere tool. All this while I've respected him, and yearned to receive his acknowledgement. But it never came, not even when I joined him to become a Death Eater myself. But I never gave up. I continued to serve Father, in hopes that he would come to respect and acknowledge me.  
  
My hopes were shattered the moment Harry Potter pointed his wand at me. I've become a bane to Father, nothing but a worthless burden.  
  
If I'd died, I would be less of a burden to Father. Perhaps he'd only acknowledge me then. If I'd died, maybe I could see Mother again...Mother loved me. Oh sure, she didn't show it much, but I could tell.  
  
Mother was the only one who made me feel like a person. Not Draco Malfoy, that rich man's kid. Not Draco Malfoy the prefect, not Draco Malfoy, the powerful Death Eater. She made me feel like I was needed, like there was a reason for my existence.  
  
But she's gone. Been gone for three months now. Does that mean I've lost the reason for my existence?/  
  
'Oh...nothing,' was all Draco said. He leant against the pillow, the dull, throbbing ache returning to his head. This was definitely too much thinking to do in one sitting. 'Leave me alone, Granger. You irk me.'  
  
'I would leave you alone, but I was told to keep a watch on you,' Granger raised an eyebrow. 'Don't want those suicidal tendencies acting up again, do we?'  
  
Draco blinked. There it was again. That strange, warm, bittersweet sensation gliding down his throat and through his body. He liked it; just that it he was rather appalled that Granger was the one making him feel this way.  
  
'But I guess I'll leave, since you find me so irksome,' with that, a very disgruntled looking Granger strode out of the room.  
  
A moment or two passed before Draco staggered towards the window, lifted the pane and peered out, gentle breeze brushing against his face.  
  
Just checking for ravens.  
  
D/Hr forever!!!! Kyaaaaaa~! XP XB X3!!!  
  
Sorry, I'm mad. Jus me and my personal opinion.  
  
*proceeds to owl JK Rowling on why Draco should be with Hermione*  
  
*proceeds to send a Howler if she ignores me*  
  
*muses* I wish I had a nicer sounding summary...any suggestions anyone?  
  
And don't you try and sneak away!! Press that button and review, evil person! 


	5. Chapter 4

'Heal'  
  
Disclaimer: I own healer smith! Muahaha!! My bubbles!  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Hermione leant against her desk, picking idly at the petals of a wilting tulip.  
  
She couldn't stop thinking about Malfoy. She couldn't stop thinking about the haunting look in his pale, grey eyes...they were so cold, so distant and yet...  
  
So lonely.  
  
She remembered though, that she'd seen him look this way before.  
  
It was during the Yule Ball. She saw him by the lake; gazing at the stars, silver strands of hair moving gently in the breeze. Hermione vaguely remembered wondering why Parkinson wasn't with him, but did not take further notice because Viktor had dragged her away then, to get more drinks. It was one of those little incidents that one tended to forget far too easily.  
  
But now she remembered. He gazed up at the sky with the same loneliness, the same empty hollowness she'd seen last night...  
  
A pale orange petal drifted to the ground. Hermione frowned and straightened herself. But what did she care, anyway? This was Malfoy she was thinking about, the most evil, foul git ever to have crossed the grounds of Hogwarts. Besides, she had tried to help, but Malfoy flatly refused it. And as far as Hermione was concerned, she would have nothing to do with Draco Malfoy the moment he was fit to leave St. Mungo's. So there.  
  
She tapped her wand against her mug, which filled itself to the brim with steaming hot coffee, and glanced impatiently at the clock. Where was Ron, anyway? She'd got up early just to complete Malfoy's medical report for him to bring back to the ministry, so where in the world was he?  
  
Hermione took a sip of her coffee, made a face, and hastily spat it out. Some instant coffee spell. Muggle coffee tasted tons better than this.  
  
'Hey Mione!!' A warm hand clasped her firmly by the shoulder. Hermione nearly jumped out of her seat, spilling coffee as she did so. She turned round to see a red-haired wizard in brown robes, grinning good- naturedly at her.  
  
'RON!! Don't ever do that again!'  
  
'Do what?'  
  
'Do...oh never mind...here's the report you wanted.' She handed Ron a loose sheaf of paper whilst hastily mopping up the spilt coffee.  
  
'Ah...yes...' Ron was flipping through the papers idly, when Hermione realised that someone else was behind him.  
  
'Er...Ron?' Hermione looked warily at the figure. She was dressed in robes of pale yellow with gold trimming, her large, watery blue eyes gazing fixatedly at a moving model of the human body.  
  
'Mm-hm?'  
  
'Isn't she...'  
  
'Oh. You mean Luna.' Hermione detected a note of exasperation in Ron's voice. Ron turned in the direction Hermione was looking. 'She's my secretary.'  
  
'Your secretary? But how did she...'  
  
'Oh...long story...Luna, could you go out for a sec?' Luna blinked, nodded sagely and left the room.  
  
He turned back to Hermione. 'You know, with her father being good friends with Dumbledore and Dumbledore being the Minister for Magic and her father suggesting that he recommend a good job for Luna...' Ron sighed, clearly not too pleased with the arrangement.  
  
'Can't Luna be the editor of The Quibbler or something?'  
  
'Her father wants her to get some working experience...you know, before she takes over The Quibbler.'  
  
'Oh.'  
  
The door swung open and Luna stepped in again, gazing about in her usual nonchalant fashion.  
  
'What is it this time, Luna?' Ron rolled his eyes. Luna cocked her head to the side, looking slightly bemused.  
  
'There's quite a big commotion outside you know, about some Death Eater going missing or something...'  
  
'WHAT??!!' Ron's hand flew for his wand as he and Hermione exchanged worried glances. 'No, you stay here, Hermione...I'll take care of this. Stupid Dementors, can't even do their job right!'  
  
'No! I'll help! We'll split up to look for Malfoy!' Hermione protested. The thought of Malfoy, cornered by Dementors was not a comforting one.  
  
Ron hesitated, before nodding reluctantly.  
  
'All right then.'  
  
~~~  
  
Up on the rooftops of St. Mungo's, Draco looked at the skies searchingly. Clouds drifted lazily across the pale blue sky, and there was hardly a stir of movement in the air.  
  
He knew Bellatrix was up there, he just knew it. It was just a matter of time now, before she appeared.  
  
Draco froze. He heard footsteps from the staircase below.  
  
Damn.  
  
~~~  
  
Hermione rarely had an intuition about anything. But when she did, she followed it. And intuition told Hermione that Malfoy was up on the rooftops.  
  
And there he was. She stood for a while, panting, eyes fixed on the figure with his back towards her, gazing up towards the sky.  
  
'I knew you'd be here!!' Hermione glared at Malfoy, her wand clutched tightly in her hand. 'You'd better get down this instant, before the others get here!' Hermione eyes flashed with anger, her breathing shallow and uneven. Malfoy looked back, his eyes widened slightly with shock.  
  
'What are you doing here, Granger?' He demanded, his grey eyes reverting to its usual cold and expressionless manner. 'Clear off, you don't want to be involved in this...'  
  
'Oh yes I do! You think it's funny, running about like this? Well, it's not, because the Dementors are coming, and Ron's coming, and if you try to escape now you'll just get killed!' Hermione yelled back at the Death Eater. She heard the distant cawing of ravens, and saw a whole flock of them, heading for the rooftops. One raven, in particular, swooped down and perched itself on Malfoy's shoulder, almost seeming to whisper into his ear. Malfoy was nodding to the raven, a slow, surreptitious smirk on his lips...  
  
Hermione looked at Malfoy, then at the raven. Why in the world was she so worked up, anyhow? And since when were there so many ravens at St Mungo's?  
  
'So what's it to you, Granger, if I get killed?' Malfoy approached her, a smirk still plastered across his face. His pale face neared Hermione's, his silvery-grey eyes boring into her. Hermione was having difficulties breathing. He was close, far too close for comfort; she felt her face burning up...  
  
'Stop it!' Hermione shoved Malfoy with all the strength she could muster, but Malfoy stayed put. He gripped her arm in a vice-like grip, prying the wand loose from her fingers with his other hand.  
  
'Thanks. This might come in handy.' Before Hermione knew it, Malfoy's arm had somehow snaked round her, and pressed her wand lightly against her neck. 'And so will you.'  
  
~~~  
  
Ron strode impatiently down the corridor, followed closely by a pair of morbid Dementors, and a morbidly curious Luna.  
  
'Where d'you suppose that Death Eater went? D'you think Healer Granger has found him? Could he have done something to her?'  
  
'Luna, for the last time, I don't...'  
  
'Ron!!' Ron felt a surge of relief when he saw Hermione racing towards them. 'I couldn't find Malfoy -d'you suppose he's escaped?'  
  
'No, he can't have...have you checked the rooftops, Mione?'  
  
'He isn't there!' Hermione gave an impatient snort. Ron frowned. Something wasn't right. He cocked his head to the side, and realised.  
  
Hermione didn't have pierced ears!  
  
'Nice disguise, Malfoy,' he smirked. 'But it's just not good enough...Revealo!' There was a cloud of blue smoke, and the Death Eater stood before him.  
  
'Not bad at all, Weasley, not bad at all...' Malfoy breathed, his haunting grey eyes making even Ron extremely uncomfortable.  
  
'Same to you, Malfoy. Very high-level transfiguration.' Ron raised his wand once more. 'Too bad it wasn't enough...' He jerked his head towards the Dementors. The Dementors nodded, tattered robes swaying ever so slightly. They drifted down, closing in on the Death Eater.  
  
'Put down your wand, Malfoy, if you want to live...'  
  
'Hey look! Another Malfoy!!' Ron followed Luna's gaze down the corridor. Indeed, another Malfoy, dressed in pale hospital robes, was streaking down the stairs.  
  
'What the...' Ron froze. The other Malfoy clutched Hermione by his side, his wand pressed against her neck.  
  
The Dementors looked from one Malfoy to another, apparently confused.  
  
'Feeling rather confused, are you?' Ron looked back, horrified. He saw, instead of Malfoy, a raven-haired woman, dark eyes shrouded with malice.  
  
'You...you...' Ron knew it was too late. The other Malfoy, the real Malfoy was gone. The woman winked, and disappeared, leaving a dark purple swirl of mist behind.  
  
~~~  
  
Draco had never heard so many swear words coming out of Hermione Granger's mouth at once. Heck, he never even knew that she knew so many of them.  
  
'Shut up! Or I'll really kill you!' He looked frantically about. He'd left the hospital only to find himself hopelessly lost on the streets of Muggle London, and he felt panic rising in his chest.  
  
'Well go ahead then! You, foul, evil son of a...'  
  
'Silencio.' Draco turned at Bellatrix's voice, only to find a small girl in her place, pointing a wand towards Granger. She glared up at Draco. 'Why'd you bring her along? You should have killed her the moment you left St. Mungo's.' At this, Granger mouthed several other words even Draco would have been embarrassed to use.  
  
'Er. I forgot.' Noticing the curious stares from Muggle onlookers, Draco loosened his grip on Granger, but kept his wand against her back.  
  
'You disappoint your Father and I, Draco,' Bellatrix eyed Granger with contempt. 'We'll settle this later. For now, you will follow me. No, don't release the girl...she may yet be of use...'  
  
Draco felt Granger quiver beside him.  
  
'Don't make any sudden moves, Granger, or I'll blow this whole street up.' Granger stared at him in disbelief. Draco smirked, nudging Granger forwards. 'And you wouldn't want that to happen, would you?'  
  
~~~~  
  
I'm so sorry about the annoying slashes...those are supposed to represent words in italics, but I couldn't use the italics because I have problems with encoding. Bah.  
  
I think e previous chappies were so-o-o-o boring now that I look at this one. Hope you liked it.  
  
Thank you thank you thank you lovely lovely reviewers!!!! Yes, I know no one's reviewing but thanks anyway to those who bothered...THANKS!  
  
YAY! So review already XP. (this never works...*grumbles*) 


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: It's fan fiction! Doesn't that tell you something, pple-who- might-want-to-sue-me? Pfuit!  
  
Chapter 5  
  
~~~  
  
The trip to the Death Eaters' headquarters (Hermione had decidedly called it that for she knew not where in Merlin's Beard they were bringing her) was an uncomfortably silent one, save for the occasional impatient clicking noise Bellatrix (Malfoy called her that...right?) made with her tongue, which annoyed Hermione very much indeed. Hermione could hardly contain her impulse to poke her with a very sharp object, if not for the fact that her upper body was bound to Malfoy with an invisible rope by some cursed hex, and the fact that she didn't want the whole of Muggle London to be blown up, thank you very much.  
  
Ok...calm down Hermione. So this annoying Death Eater whom you just saved the life of, and the annoying Death Eater's accomplice, a woman who wears far too much eye shadow and harbours a strange fetish for transfiguring herself into... well, other things, have just kidnapped you and put some sort of partial body bind hex on you, which renders you unable to break free from their evil clutches. No sweat. You've been through worse. Just. Calm. Down. And think. You just need a plan.a good plan...  
  
The trio stopped in front of a book rental store. It was situated at the end of a very long stretch of road where Muggles, apparently, didn't often go. An old, chipped signboard just above the shop swung gently in the wind, creaking slightly on its hinges. It all looked very, very shifty to Hermione.  
  
The glass door of the shop swung open easily upon a light push from Bellatrix, upon which the gentle tinkling of a wind chime greeted them. Bellatrix gestured for Malfoy to stop.  
  
"Stay here, Draco." She gave Hermione a dark look. "And don't let the Mudblood escape." With that, she disappeared behind the door.  
  
Hermione felt Malfoy give a slight nod behind her. She turned round and gave him the most malicious look she could manage. The little bastard. She saved his miserable life- he could have at least shown a little appreciation for that. But no- he abducted her, stole her wand, bound her to himself with god knows what curse and dragged her off to his little Death Eater's lair. Great way to show your appreciation. But somehow, considering the fact that he was Malfoy (only the most evil git ever to cross the planet), Hermione wasn't too surprised.  
  
Malfoy must have noticed the murderous glint in Hermione's eyes, for he raised a wary eyebrow at her and put a bit more pressure on the wand held to her back. He made a short, derisive sound of disapproval, which sounded suspiciously like a 'Pfuit'.  
  
"I am seriously considering putting a paper bag over your head, Granger. Why, it hurts just to look at your...well, let's say, far-from-attractive face..."  
  
Unable to verbalise any of her thoughts due to the Silencio curse, Hermione chose the only available option.  
  
Ignorus Totalus. Accompanied with an arrogant tilt of the chin.  
  
"I should hate to imagine how you'd look twenty years down the road," Malfoy drawled. "You'd probably look like a shrivelled prune the way you're frowning right now."  
  
Ignorus Totalus. Grrrr...  
  
"Come in Draco. Your father's in - looks like you have some explaining to do." A slender, snake-like woman dressed in flowy robes of mauve peered out from behind the door. Hermione blinked. Of course. She'd nearly forgotten that Malfoy's accomplice was actually a woman.  
  
If it were even possible, Malfoy would have gone paler than he already was.  
  
"Father's in?" he rasped, stiffening behind her. Hermione could almost feel the tension in his voice. His face however, remained calm and impassive, as though it were hidden behind a mask. This was something she had always noted about Malfoy - the more nervous he felt, the less emotion he showed on his face. It was something she never quite understood about him, and probably never would.  
  
If Malfoy was a book, he'd probably be bound up, written in invisible ink and simply incomprehensible. On second thought, he could be one of those biting books Hagrid got for them in third year.  
  
"Yes, he's in. He'll deal with the Mudblood. After he's dealt with you." Bellatrix slipped back into the store, after throwing one last scathing look at Hermione. Hermione felt, for a moment, like a pile of cow dung Bellatrix had accidentally stepped on.  
  
"You heard her, Granger. Get in." Hermione felt a slight push from behind, upon which she was forced into the shop, Malfoy following close behind.  
  
The room was extraordinarily plain, even by Hermione's standards. A counter stood to the right, flanked by a couple of broken red stools. Behind the counter were rows and rows of books, which Hermione normally would have been pleased to see, but now merely spelt her imminent doom. The wooden flooring echoed with their footsteps - Bellatrix's bold, high-heeled ones, Malfoy's soft, surreptitious ones, and her own shuffly, reluctant ones.  
  
Bellatrix descended down a flight of stairs - hidden, most probably from the usual Muggle visitors - it led, no doubt, to a dark, dank dungeon. Or so Hermione thought.  
  
"Hold it, Granger." Hermione was jerked back suddenly by the partial body bind hex. Hermione turned to face Malfoy.  
  
"What?" Gasping, Hermione almost attempted to look at her own mouth in shock. "You...you undid the charm?"  
  
"No need to look so stunned. Listen up, Granger." Malfoy looked directly into her eyes, his voice harsh and cold. "I...my father...and any of the others...they'll kill you if you get them mad...so try not to do anything stupid...by that I mean any Gryffindor-like act of bravery, of course. " Then, almost as if he regretted what he said, he quickly averted Hermione's gaze. "Not that I give a damn, anyhow. It's just... you saved my life, Granger. I don't want to owe you anything, if you understand what I mean."  
  
He shifted uncertainly, grey eyes staring fixatedly on the ground.  
  
"If you don't want to owe me anything, you can let me off now. Then we'd be quits, and we'll have nothing more to do with each other." Hermione suggested, perhaps a little too hopefully.  
  
"Oh, sure. And let you run off and tell your little boyfriend where our hideout is, right?"  
  
"Ever heard of a Memory Erasing Charm? Or is that too complicated for you?" Hermione snapped a little too hastily, before clamping her mouth shut. Malfoy definitely didn't look like he was in the mood to start acting benevolent.  
  
"You know, for a hostage, you sure have a lot to say." He whispered, his grey eyes reduced to narrow, dangerous slits. Draco pressed on into the darkness below, dragging a reluctant Hermione behind him...  
  
~~~  
  
Draco descended the last of the stone steps to find himself in a stuffy but sufficiently warm room, black leather couches scattered around a small fireplace. There was no music, only the crackling of the fireplace, to be heard. Upon Draco's arrival, several Death Eaters turned their heads to examine the newcomer, but few took much notice. Such was the atmosphere in the lair of the Lucius Malfoy's followers - cold, unconcerned and all in all, apathetic.  
  
Not that Draco was complaining. He was fairly accustomed to such an atmosphere, as he acted likewise himself. But their reaction to his return was cold, too cold even for Draco, considering that Draco was, after all, the son of their leader, and a Death Eater of some status. It didn't bode well for Draco.  
  
He spotted Bellatrix just a little down the corridor, who was now joined by another familiar face.  
  
"Hey Draco. Guess Bellatrix was right after all - you are alive." Blaise Zabini, a Death Eater of equal rank as Draco, spoke softly, not with malice, but not exactly in a friendly manner either. His glowing, amber eyes casually took in Draco's tattered robes and bloodstained bandages, which had somehow unwound itself from his injuries and hung limply from his robes.  
  
"Looks like Potter got the better of you, eh?" His thin lips played carefully into a smirk; he folded his arms over his chest. "Wait till The Dark Lord sees you in this state, he won't be too happy...Mind you, he's already feeling rather peeved."  
  
"That will be enough, Zabini." Bellatrix's voice was dangerously soft - and one didn't mess with Bellatrix when she sounded like that. Draco was secretly thankful for her intervention. "And since you're so free, Zabini, I've got a job for you..." She jerked her head towards someone behind Draco. Draco blinked. Oh yes of course! She meant Granger - he'd almost forgotten she was right behind him!  
  
"What? Who is she?" Zabini scowled.  
  
"She's a healer from St. Mungo's - you don't need to know the details. Just bring her to see to our casualties, then to the prisoner's chamber, the one to the left, mind you." Zabini nodded grudgingly, then grabbed Granger roughly by the arm, only to find that he'd pulled Draco along as well.  
  
"Watch it!" Draco snarled, throwing Zabini a nasty look. He undid the spell that bound him and Granger together; giving her one long, last look. Granger looked back, dark brown eyes filled with worry - suddenly she didn't look so confident of herself anymore, the way she usually did. She looked frightened, like a deer about to be sent to its predator's lair. But he could only watch her go down the corridor, deeper and deeper into the darkness...  
  
God, I hope that Granger's not so stupid as to try to spit in Zabini's face or something - she knows they'll only torture her worse if they did that, doesn't she? Not that I care of course, I just don't want our premises to be, er, dirtied with any of her Mudblood filth. Yes, that's all.  
  
But another tiny, nagging thought rose in the back of his head.  
  
But you don't want her hurt, do you? You feel...what's the word again? Guilty, yes, that's it. Something not too familiar to you, no doubt, but you can feel it. She saved your life, you dolt, and you're packing her off to the dungeons!  
  
"Draco? Draco?" Bellatrix raised a dark eyebrow, a quizzical look on her face. "Your father would like to see you in his study. Now."  
  
"Wha-? Oh, yes. I know." Draco frowned. He never even knew he had a conscience, let alone one that spoke. Darn. Granger was making him soft.  
  
But right now, his main concern would be his imminent meeting with Father. Draco had always disliked going to his Father's study, for it meant that he had, in some way or another, angered his Father, and was called to the room for punishment. It was never a pleasant experience, and Draco had a feeling this time would not be an exception...  
  
~~~  
  
Hermione leant heavily against the brick wall of the dungeon, the metal chains that bound her to the wall clanging noisily together as she did so. She winced, and bit her lip to keep herself from crying out in pain.  
  
She'd kept to Malfoy's advice - don't do anything stupid, or anything to make them mad, or they'd only torture you worse. And it was useful, to a certain extent, but it definitely didn't ensure immunity. Her body ached from the assortment of curses she was inflicted with, though she hadn't suffered any internal injuries (her knowledge of the curses gave her a great advantage- some of the curses were mere illusions; some plain showy, and others, the more dangerous ones, were prevented from doing too much damage by dodging so they wouldn't hit any vital points.)  
  
She stared bitterly up at the ceiling, as if daring it to sprout eyes and stare back at her. Nothing happened.  
  
Hermione oh Hermione, what have you ever done to make you deserve this...  
  
The loud creaking of another dungeon door broke the stifling silence. She then heard the jangling of metal chains, which, by now, was all too familiar to Hermione. She peered round to the adjacent dungeon - where the sound had come from, separated from hers by a series of steel bars.  
  
Hermione saw the silhouettes of a masked guard dragging his prisoner into the cell. Then the masked guard left, slamming the door heavily behind him. Hermione leaned towards the bars, moving as close to the other cell as the chains allowed her to. The prisoner looked in a pretty bad shape; she hoped fervently it wasn't Ron, or anyone else she knew.  
  
She craned her neck further, finally catching a glimpse of the prisoner's face. It wasn't Ron. But it sure was someone she knew.  
  
~~~  
  
And not forgetting my lovely reviewers! I shall now finally thank you all in-duh-vi-dually.  
  
Wolfy65 (x4): Thanks 4 reviewing every chappie so far (except chap 4 *glares*). AND being e first person to review. Thankos Muchos. _  
  
Dazed Panda (x2): We-ell...I dunno how many swear words Hermione could have used...why dun u ask her? Hehe.  
  
Mary Lee (x3): You sound like a very dignified person ^^(). Heh. Yes, Bella is an unregistered Animagus with really advanced transfiguration skills, so she can sort of shape shift into almost anything she wants.  
  
ILUVRONWEASLEY (x3): Glad you liked it! I put the slashes at the front of sentences where there were supposed to be italics, and then at the end of the sentences where the italics end. Which is ridiculous, but nv mind.  
  
Thedarklord: Thank you o great honourable sister. Let me kiss your sweet feet. *holds nose* Eurgh.  
  
AniGirl 7: Oooo...r u an anime fan? Cos I am 2! Anywaes, thanks and I hope u dun get 2 impatient wif mi story cos I update veri slowly XB  
  
Cyropi: Gosh! I'm greatly honoured. Thank you 4 yur advice, I'll take note of it XB. I have tried saving in .html thoh, but the punctuation marks came out all wonky...  
  
Hanna: Urp. It wasn't that confusing, rite? *laughs nervously* That scene was very naruto-influenced X3. 


	7. Chapter 6

-Heal-  
  
Disclaimer: Vot? Anuzzer von of zis?  
  
Author's note: YES!!! I finally got the chance to upload this. Very sorry for the slow updates, cos I've just been through a gruelling round of exams, so I've been busy busy busy. I'll definitely upload more often now that the exams are over XD  
  
Oh, and I'll probably be uploading really slowly beginning of November too cos I have an O level exam then (yes. The infamous O.W.L s. *rolls eyes*)  
  
Actually, I'd probably update faster if I knew there were more people reading my fic *Hint Hint* Unfortunately, it is not the case; hence my painfully slow pace of writing.  
  
~~~  
  
Merlin's Eyeballs! What in the world was Neville Longbottom doing here?  
  
Hermione rubbed her eyes. Though somewhat lacking in his previous chubbiness, the prisoner's sharp, somewhat mouse-like features had given him away. Paired with Hermione's keen powers of observation, it was unmistakeable. Either the prisoner before her was Neville Longbottom, or Neville had a long lost twin he never talked about. Hermione guessed it was the former.  
  
Hermione shuffled as far out as she could to the unconscious prisoner. Tentatively, she tried to rouse him, but to no avail. She bit her lip in frustration. If only she had her wand or some medicines with her...  
  
/ "Hermione." /  
  
A husky, almost familiar voice reverberated within the dungeon.  
  
"Wha -? Who's there?" Hermione whirled round, her dark eyes darting about the cell. But there wasn't a soul in sight, save for the masked guard outside the cell. Hermione blinked. What a time to have a bloody hallucination...  
  
/ "Pssst! Hermione! Over here!" /  
  
"What the..." Hermione felt her heart palpitating wildly against her chest. This time the voice seemed closer...almost as if it were right beside her...  
  
Whoever it was, it sure didn't sound anything like a hallucination. As a matter of fact, it sounded like...  
  
"Yoo-hoo, girl! Over here!" Hermione looked up with sudden realisation, eyes shining. The masked...no, unmasked guard leaning outside her cell grinned, his bubblegum pink hair sticking incongruously out of his dark Death Eater's hood. Or rather, HER Death Eater's hood.  
  
"Tonks!! What in the world...how did you..." Words were tumbling out of Hermione's mouth out of their own accord. And they weren't making any sense. "A-and Neville... why is he..."  
  
"Whoa whoa...I'll answer those later ok, girl? I have to get you outta this dump first..." The 'masked guard' tapped the lock with her wand, and then stepped gingerly into the dimly lit cell. "Horrid place this is..." Tonks muttered as she fiddled with Hermione's chains, which were evidently charm-proof. "... Not well-equipped enough for a torture chamber, if you ask me. Aha! There you go...can you walk all right?"  
  
Hermione nodded vaguely, and then stood up. It felt unnaturally light without the extra weight of the chains, and her legs were numb from inaction. Cursing under her breath, she followed the pink-haired auror out of the cell stiffly, her knees feeling like a couple of un-oiled hinges squeaking from the lack of use.  
  
"NOW can you tell me what's going on, Tonks?" Hermione said as they stepped out into the corridors, and dusted themselves off.  
  
The pink-haired auror grinned, an action that looked oddly out of place with her current garb. "What else could be going on? We're rescuing you, kid!"  
  
"Yes, I know but..."  
  
"I impersonated a guard, dragged Neville in here to impersonate you later on when those buffoons- the real guards- awaken. He'll be fine...kid's got a wand with him. Didn't want to tell you it was me at first cos I needed to take care of the other guard. We managed to track you down cos Harry predicted this would happen, so he stationed us - or at least, what's left of us after that huge fight back at Gorgon Tower - all over Muggle London. He's a genius, that boy... " Tonks said all this very quickly, quick enough to rival even the undisputable queen of motor-mouths, Hermione herself. Hermione looked impressed.  
  
"Yeah... impressive, ain't it? Neville's plan, you know."  
  
"Neville!" Hermione's attention whirled back to the unconscious figure still in the cell. "Are you sure he's going to be all right?" She asked nervously, peering into the darkness.  
  
"Look, he'll be fine...see, he's just pretendin'..." As if on cue, the figure leaning against the dungeon wall gave a thumbs up signal, then put it down again as though nothing had happened.  
  
"Well...if you say so..."  
  
"C'mon girl..." Tonks' face shifted and rearranged itself as though it were putty, until Hermione found herself face to face with the dull features of Gregory Goyle. Hermione suppressed a giggle as memories of Harry downing a certain foul-tasting potion came back. Then she frowned as memories of how it transformed her into a hairy...being came back. Ah, those bittersweet memories.  
  
"C'mon girl...We've got some serious spy-work to do."  
  
~~~  
  
"Well well well...now why didn't we think to bring a map, then?" The vast grounds of the dungeon passageways met them as they left the prisoner's cell. The passageway, lined with statues of Gargoyles and burning torches, split into three others, and yet more passageways ran zigzag above them like a myriad of concrete snakes, looking just about as complicated as the moving stairways of Hogwarts.  
  
"But how did you get in if you didn't know the way?" Hermione peered cautiously out of her Death Eater's hood, her dark robes hanging limply in huge folds and gathering in a heap at the ground, very much the way Dudley's clothes hung on Harry.  
  
"Actually, we followed the guards in. Good Merlin, this place doesn't look half as huge from the outside..."  
  
The two 'Death Eaters' looked round desperately for some signs of life they could follow out of the dungeons. An eerie silence greeted them, and the only signs of life were the spiders scuttling across the wispy white threads of their webs.  
  
"Looks like we're on our own, Tonks."  
  
"You mean Goyle. And I'm not so sure about the 'on our own' part." Tonks stiffened, dull, bead-like eyes looking searchingly about the room. She looked hard into the leftmost passageway, and then gestured for Hermione to follow her. "This way."  
  
They walked on for what seemed like an eternity, their footsteps echoing down the corridor. Just when Hermione decided she'd about had enough of walking past rows and rows of gruesome gargoyles and burning torches, Tonks came to a sudden stop before her. Hermione stopped herself just in time from bumping into her. A wide, mahogany door framed in silver stood ominously before them, its handles carved aptly as twin serpents wrapped surreptitiously around two swords.  
  
"Wait...there's someone inside..." Tonks reached inside her robes, pulling out an all too familiar-looking piece of flesh-coloured string. "Extendable Ears - new and improved version, gets past all doors, even the ones charmed with the Impertuble Charm," She explained, slipping it easily under the door, just enough so it wouldn't be seen.  
  
"I thought we were looking for a way out." Hermione hissed, as Tonks offered her another Extendable Ear.  
  
"What...you mean leave this place without a bit of snooping around?" Tonks looked incredulous. "Snooping around's the best chance we aurors' have got if we want to stop their dastardly plans." With that, Tonks dropped to her knees, her head slightly inclined towards the gap underneath the door. Sighing, Hermione followed suit. Snooping around wasn't exactly Hermione's specialty, but she had had experience in this sort of thing ...back in Hogwarts, that was.  
  
The dark, sinister voice of a woman, no doubt the Bellatrix woman Hermione had seen earlier, drifted out of the room through the Extendable Ears.  
  
"Don't you think that was a little harsh, my lord? He is your son, after all..."  
  
The tone of the next voice was soft, soft as a cat's footsteps, but yet Hermione could hear every word as though it were whispered right into her ear. It was an imperious voice, one that commanded attention, even of those who despised it to the core. It was the voice of Lucius Malfoy.  
  
"I hardly think so. He very nearly exposed our plans at the Gorgon Towers, Bellatrix. It was a crucial moment for us...if he hadn't made an entire fiasco out of it, we would have succeeded in our takeover of the Ministry by now...I should never have entrusted him on this mission..."  
  
"But he has done a lot for you, my lord...the Gorgon Tower affair was just a tiny error on his part..."  
  
"A tiny error that has brought consequences of a great magnitude, Bellatrix. Eight of our kind caught... five dead, six others missing. Thanks to that blundering moron..."  
  
A loud swinging of a door, apparently from the other side of the room, interrupted their conversation. Hermione felt a strange twinge of relief when she heard Draco's cold, drawling voice from the room. She was beginning to think his father'd killed him, judging from the way he and the Bellatrix lady spoke.  
  
"Father...how could you do this to me?"  
  
"Do what, my son?" The tone accompanying this sentence was one of cold nonchalance, almost as if he could hardly be bothered to speak.  
  
"You know very well what you did. I heard from Blaise Zabini...you're putting him in charge of the scrolls now, aren't you?" His tone still maintained its placidity - calm, like the sea before an imminent storm.  
  
"So I am."  
  
"But I was in charge of that. And the takeover of Hogwarts."  
  
"Well...that was if you proved your ability in stealing the scrolls from the tower. Which you haven't, and I'm afraid you will have to bear the responsibility like a Malfoy would."  
  
"By excluding me from all operations...demoting me to the lowest of ranks...after all I've done...that's just unfair, Father."  
  
"Life's never fair, Draco. As a matter of fact, you shouldn't even be here, for your present status does not allow it. See him out, Bellatrix."  
  
"I have every right to be here. Mother said..."  
  
"Your mother is dead."  
  
"...You were to treat me proper. But you never did, not after Mother's death. Not after you became so obsessed and absorbed with power..."  
  
"Haven't I always been so?"  
  
"I think you're bloody happy that Mother's dead. No one there to stop you from gallivanting off with other people's wives then, eh? I'm not as stupid as you think. You think you can manipulate me just because Mother's not here anymore...I've about had enough of being pushed around by..."  
  
"You will not talk back to me like that, Draco."  
  
"You and that...slut!"  
  
Then there was a loud crash, accompanied with the sound of broken glass, at which Hermione gasped and flinched slightly. She and Tonks exchanged glances; both had not expected to hear such a heated argument between the father and the son.  
  
"Impertinent fool...how dare you talk about your aunt like that..." The older Malfoy could no longer keep the edge out of his voice, his breathing now shallow and uneven.  
  
"Go on...kill me...I know you can't wait to get rid of me... the way you couldn't wait for Mother to die..." Draco's voice trailed off, as though he were in too much pain to continue, but refused to make a sound for it would be a sign of weakness.  
  
"Don't think I won't..."  
  
"Will you two just shut up for a moment!" the dark, rasping voice of Bellatrix cut through the tense atmosphere like a cold sword, leaving an uncomfortable silence in its wake. Hermione stiffened. She exchanged worried glances with Tonks, who could do nothing but shrug her shoulders. It was too dangerous to speak now...let alone move away from their precarious positions.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I thought I heard something...Though I suppose they were just a couple of rats..." Hermione felt her stomach clench. She had to keep as still as she could...it as all right...she thought they were just rats...  
  
"Rats?"  
  
"Yes, I think it was just a couple of rats." Footsteps echoed from within the room, sounding closer and closer with every step. "A couple of eavesdropping rats, to be exact..."  
  
"Relax...just act normal..." Before Tonks could even finish her sentence, the wide mahogany door was flung wide open, and Hermione found herself looking into a pair of dark eyes, seemingly shrouded in a purple mist...  
  
~~~  
  
~~~  
  
My thanks go out to ILUVRONWEASLEY, some13, Cassie and Culf for reviewing chap 6! Reviewers will receive a... talking Draco Plushie! Complete with hair gel, Nimbus 2001 and sarcastic insults, one for every day of the year!! XD!! *Only available on the 30th of Feb. While stocks last. * 


	8. Chapter 7

-Heal-  
  
A/N: Ah. Yes. The lovely, lovely cliffies...Don't we love them? (Only on our own fics, thoh _)  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. And any silly spells that sound absolutely ridiculous are probably mine, too.  
  
~~~  
  
For a moment, Hermione waited with bated breath, quickly lowering her head to the ground and averting Bellatrix's steely gaze. Hopefully, Bellatrix would see this action merely as one of a Death Eater showing respect to her superiors, and not notice that she wasn't one of them. It seemed to work, as the witch's eyes swept right past Hermione, landing instead, on Tonks beside her.  
  
"Goyle!" Bellatrix snapped. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Du-uh...we were jus' walking around and uh...we kind of got lost..." This was a very good imitation of Goyle's gormless voice indeed, but was it good enough to fool even the Death Eaters?  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
Hermione felt Tonks stiffen beside her, and noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that Tonks looked about as nervous as Hermione felt. Nevertheless, Hermione tried to calm her wrangled nerves - Tonks was, after all, a powerful auror, and if anything went wrong...well, at least they would be able to escape. Or so she thought.  
  
"You can drop your little pretence now..." Then the voice of Lucius Malfoy resonated from the room, every word soft yet hauntingly clear. "Nymphadora Tonks."  
  
~~~  
  
" Du-uh...I don't know what you're talking about, my lord..."  
  
"I'm sure you do...Miss Nymphadora." A figure stepped out from the shadows, his cold voice drawling each syllable of Tonks' name out slowly and deliberately, malice dripping from every word. Hermione vaguely felt Tonks trembling - but whether it was with fear or fury, she was unsure.  
  
"That's TONKS, Goddammit!" Hermione shut her eyes and sighed inwardly as Tonks' voice rang out, in stark contrast to Lucius Malfoy's. It was fury. Then Hermione looked up, only to find 'Goyle' reverting back to her bubblegum-pink-haired self, drawing a sleek, black wand out of her robes. Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned - especially if the specimen in question was Nymphadora Tonks.  
  
In one fluid motion, the Death Eaters too, had their wands drawn from their robes and held out before them - Lucius' and Draco's wands were held towards Tonks, while Bellatrix's was held towards Hermione. A raging sense of dread filled Hermione- she didn't have her wand. That meant they were outnumbered - three to one. It was evidently the wrong move to make, especially at this junction.  
  
"So you are the infamous shape shifter..." Lucius Malfoy was the first to speak, stepping towards the auror. "And here I was, just testing out the waters..."  
  
"You...you were just guessing?"  
  
"Indeed, I was. But you fell for it, like the reckless fool you are." He took another step closer, a cruel smirk playing about his lips. "Bit of a pity - I was looking forward to having a friendly duel with a powerful auror, but it looks like you really aren't my match."  
  
"You can say that after you've beat me, Elf-boy!" The pink-haired auror shouted, stabbing her wand in Lucius' direction. A flaming yellow, ribbon-like jet burst from the tip of her wand, a shot that the Death Eater dodged easily.  
  
"Planning to defeat me with your childish display of fireworks?" Lucius drawled as he darted swiftly and effortlessly across the carpeted ground, barely hurt by Tonks' array of curses by so much as a hair. The curses hurtled by, each one ending in a bursting spectrum of colours. Hermione could hardly see past the cacophony of incantations Tonks was hurling at the Death Eater.  
  
"Don't just dodge around! Show me what you've got!" Tonks yelled, leaping back into a defensive stance, her wand poised over a study table.  
  
"I fear it would be a waste of my energy... Though my time is far more precious." Lucius shifted across the carpeted ground, his wand still held before him. He had been biding his time, waiting, for the best opportunity to strike. Then he would pounce, lithely, like a cobra striking its prey...  
  
"Watch out, Tonks!" Hermione yelled, unable to contain her anxiety any longer. She regretted this action almost immediately, for both Bellatrix and Draco swivelled round to face her. She cursed under her breath. Had they recognised her voice?  
  
"Gotcha!!" Hermione whipped around at the sound of the pink-haired auror's voice. Her eyes widened at the scene that lay before her.  
  
A medley of flying knives had Lucius Malfoy pinned rather unceremoniously against the wall; Tonks stood before him, her wand pointed towards him in triumphant victory. Hermione felt as though a half-giant had been lifted off her chest - a glimmer of hope! She smiled to herself - now she knew that Tonks' real purpose in bombarding Lucius Malfoy with curses was only to distract him from noticing Tonks' hidden knives.  
  
But only seconds after Hermione's elation, two jets of electric-blue streaked towards the auror. Before Hermione could even react, the jets had hit Tonks with full force. The spell took effect almost immediately -an icy barrier rose, wrapping itself tightly against the auror as it solidified. In a matter of seconds, she stood still as an ice sculpture, her expression frozen in one of perpetual shock.  
  
"Tonks!! " Hermione started towards the auror, only to be sent flying to the back of the study with a cold blast. She winced as pain shot through her back; her hood fell, and she felt, rather than saw, Draco Malfoy's cold, intense gaze. She looked up, expecting a malicious sneer on the Death Eater's face, but saw none. Instead, his pale grey eyes widened slightly with shock, and he hesitated, lowering his wand slowly to the ground.  
  
"You dirty, cheating, Slytherin! That was supposed to be a duel!" Hermione bit her lip, fighting back the stinging tears forming behind her eyes. Damn! Why didn't he say something? She wished for him to insult her, to make a cutting remark, so she'd be able to snap back, to vent her frustration with comebacks instead of tears.  
  
"You should have seen enough of the world now, to know that Death Eaters don't exactly play fair...Mudblood." Bellatrix cut in sharply, stepping in beside Draco. Her wand held carefully towards Hermione; she looked towards Lucius for further instructions.  
  
"You really needn't have interfered, Bellatrix," replied the pale man, who'd somehow managed to undo his rich, navy-blue robes from the flying knives, without so much as a scratch. " I could have handled her just fine on my own."  
  
"Tonks could have beaten ten of you, Lucius Malfoy!!" Hermione snapped, just managing to hold back her tears. She glared up at the older Malfoy, defiantly, despite the fact that it seemed - to the normal, sensible Hermione at least - the most stupid thing to do at this point of time. The older Malfoy returned her glare, his blank grey eyes sending shivers down Hermione's spine. They were silver-grey orbs just like his son's, but unlike Draco, they seemed to hide nothing behind them.  
  
They seemed to be blank, unseeing - like two hollows of dark, gaping nothingness beneath a mask.  
  
"Imagine...a Mudblood on our premises..." Lucius breathed, his lips contorting into the closest he'd ever get to a grin. It was revolting, like watching a blank rubber mask attempt to show some semblance of emotion, and failing miserably. "Do me a favour, and dispose of her, Bellatrix."  
  
"Just what I was thinking, My Lord."  
  
Hermione shut her eyes, preparing for the worst - of course...this moment would come...she knew it the minute she fell captive to Draco Malfoy. It was just a matter of how soon she'd get killed- and she had merely hastened the process by trying to escape. Any moment now, her whole life would pass before her eyes...  
  
She was only dimly aware of a cloaked figure...rushing between herself and the Death Eaters. He stood with his back towards Hermione, panting slightly.  
  
"Don't kill her, Father! Please..."  
  
~~~  
  
Oh great. He had to choose this 'opportune' moment to act the hero. As if he weren't in enough trouble with his father already. It was one thing to yell at his father, but another to oppose him right to his face. And frankly, Draco didn't even have a grain of an idea why or what he was doing. For some reason Draco was not willing to know, he'd panicked when Father and Bellatrix closed in on Granger. The next thing he knew, he could only feel the wind beneath his robes as he rushed forward.  
  
Now Draco found himself face to face with his father. Trapped, like two chess pieces caught in a stalemate. His father's expression did not change - save for his eyes, which were growing colder and more hostile by the minute.  
  
"Is this your idea of a rebellion, Draco?" He breathed, his pale eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.  
  
"No, Father." Draco mumbled, his eyes fixed to the ground. Yes, he was mad at his Father. He'd been demoted, despite the fact that he was Lucius' son - it was the worst form of humiliation one could deal to a Death Eater. But whether he was ready to rebel against his father was a different story altogether. Besides, Draco thought sullenly, Father would rather kill his own men than allow them to be unfaithful to him, his own son being no exception.  
  
"So why...pray tell, can't I kill her?"  
  
Draco moistened his lips, his brow glistening with beads of sweat. He'd seen this coming, and he was ready with an answer, more or less. Now the only thing left was to convince his father...  
  
"Because she's no ordinary mudblood, Father," Draco whispered. "She's..." He glanced about, and then leaned in to whisper into his Father's ear.  
  
And Lucius Malfoy's lips stretched into a taut smile, his blank, glassy eyes turning to look at Granger.  
  
Draco drew back, inwardly heaving a sigh of relief. Success.  
  
~~~ 


End file.
